Friday, January 13, 2012

Who likes saving money?

Ok, so I'm all about saving money. I mean who isn't right? Anyhow, in the interest of saving money here is my first money saving post! Oatmeal is cheap, its healthy and all that jazz, right? But why pay $2.50 (Walmart) for 10 packets of that name brand guy when all you are getting is about 2 1/2 cups of oatmeal! DON'T DO IT AGAIN! lol

Here's what you need:

  • Take a big thing of oatmeal (make sure to use the quick oats, mine was 42 oz I went and checked, haha) $3.78 at my local Wal-mart in Texas
  • a box of snack-sized Ziplocks (or whichever brand you prefer)
  • a 1/4 c or 1/2 c measuring cup (I did mine 1/2 c but my kids are 8 & 11 and then there is my hubs, the pre-made packets are only about 1/4 c so if you have itty bittys you can just do the 1/4 c)
  • a few spare minutes (probably took less than 10 minutes)

And here's how I put mine together, feel free to add in what you and your family like:

  1. I put 1/2 c oats in the baggie (could do 1/4 c if you have itty bittys, that's how much are in the name brand guys pre-made packets)
  2. Approximately 2 TBSP of brown sugar in the baggie
  3. Zip it up!

For the water or milk part you add 3/4 c - 1 c of water or milk (for the 1/2 c oatmeal size), however you prefer. Easy-peasy! Done! Kids can even help on this one! You can also add in raisins, dried fruits, cinnamon, chocolate chips, whatever else you like in your oatmeal. So for $3.78 you now have 60 - 1/4 c packets or 30 - 1/2 c packets. The name brand guy for the same amount would cost you between $15 & $30 depending how much you would eat, 1 packet or 2 packets. I'll keep that extra money thank you very much! How about you? lol

180 comments:

  1. I found you via Pinterest and I love this idea! I'm your newest follower :)

    Bonnie
    Living A Wonderful Life

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    1. Ive been packing my own for a few years too. I add to the big bowl of dry oatmeal
      Walnits
      Raisens
      Cinnamon
      Raisens
      Dried apple bits
      And brown sugar, but no where near your 2tbsps. Thats too much for me!
      I add one cup of brown sugar and mix it all up very well before putting it into ziplock bags.
      Save your bags for reuse the next batch.
      I put mine into a coffee mug, fill up 3/4 with hot tap
      water, nuke for one minute, then add milk and stir.

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  2. Are these microwaveable or just cooked on the stovetop?

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    1. I used instant oat so they could be microwaved!

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    2. Even if you use old fashioned oats you can still microwave. Love this idea!

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  3. Wonderfully simple idea. Thanks for sharing and for the inspiration.

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  4. Love those! I make my own oatmeal packets too with instant oats, lots of cinnamon, sugar, slivered almonds, and various raisins and dried berries. It is super delicious. I mix all of my oatmeal makings in a huge bowl beforehand though and then use a half cup to divide amongst my snack bags.

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  5. Great idea! I found your blog via Renee's newsletter @Bargain Hoots. I'm you very newest follower! Welcome to bloggie-land!
    xoxo
    Joy

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  6. Great idea! Maybe you could even add some dehydrated fruit to the baggies.

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  7. I absolutely love OATMEAL..... and always buy the small box, because I love my Maple Brown Sugar. Now YOUR IDEA MAKES IT SOOOOO EASY AND SAVES SO MUCH MONEY. I AM IN FLORIDA...they all do Grits eweeee , I love my Oatmeal, thank you so much for showing an awesome , money saving idea.

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    1. I like my oatmeal in cookies with raisins, however my husband and daughter love a bowl of oatmeal in the morning!

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  8. This is fantastic! One of those "Why didn't I think of that?"'s. Plus you're not getting all the chemicals and random crap they put in those packets!

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    1. EXACTLY! lol When I saw on pinterest or somewhere, I went well duh! haha!

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  9. This is a great idea but you don't say how to cook it. Do you add milk or water to the baggie and nuke it for 3 minutes or what? Thanks!

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    1. I put it all in bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes!

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  10. I would think you would pour the contents from the baggies into a bowl, add the milk/water and then nuke it in the microwave.

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  11. We love oatmeal here. I have to make some of these. What a great idea. I'd love for you to share at our Pinteresting Party:
    http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/search/label/Link%20Party

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  12. Thank you for posting this. You are wonderful. I am going to make some for our trip. Money saved! Happy Ma, happy kids, and even hubby is happy. THANK YOU!

    http://parkburgers.blogspot.com/

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  13. I've been making my own "to go" oatmeal for years. I combine PB2 (powered peanut butter) and sugar free hot coco mix. Very Yummy!!

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    1. I think we'll have to try that! Sounds yummy!

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  14. I am so glad I found this post! Thank you!!! Love it. Any suggestions on strawberry flavoring??

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    1. There is a recipie on pinterest of how to do dried strawberries they are super sweet and I'm sure would be AMAZING in oatmeal. No sugar added to the berries while drying. Just a duggestion

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    2. Also heard people using strawberry presrves or strawberry syrup!

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    3. Im thinking freeze dried fruit might be good since it keeps its flavor so well

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  15. Best idea yet!! Saw your idea on pinterest. Love it !!!

    Keshia White :)

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    1. It was one of those "Why didn't I think of this sooner?" moments!

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  16. Genius! I buy boxes and boxes of Regular flavored oatmeal for my kids!!! Now I won't even have to pull out the sugar in the morning. We do put a little butter when I pour the hot water over it!

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  17. Found you on pinterest, I run an in home daycare and this is such an awesome idea!! thanks for sharing. I am now a follower :D

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  18. What a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?! Thanks for sharing. Found you on Pinterest. New follower. :)

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  19. To answer the questions about how to cook this, I put a kettle of water to boil, then pour the boiling water into the oats in a bowl, and cover for about 5 minutes. No cooking required. (I don't measure either, but that can be risky.) Alternatively, you could measure water into a bowl, microwave until very hot, then mix in your oats, cover, and let sit for about 5 minutes. I like adding dried cherries.

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    1. I do the same. I pour boiling water over it, stir and let it sit a couple of minutes. I’m too afraid of it boiling over in the microwave. When it’s ready, we pile on the fruit...and I mean ‘pile on’. My husband requires (lol) 1/2 banana, 5 cut-up strawberries, 5 halved grapes and a handful of blueberries! There’s more fruit than oatmeal in his bowl :^)

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  20. this is an awesome idea. Although it's still very cheap, you didn't add the price of your brown sugar to the total so it's a little more than $3.48. Thanks for the idea! LOVE IT!

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    1. I didn't add cost for baggies or brown sugar as those are staples around here and I always have on hand. Even when purchasing those items, still comes out cheap! Wohoo!

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  21. oh I wanted to ask you. does it taste like the store bought packets? The consistency is different in the store bought packets than the regular oats. The quick oat pre-packaged packets, the oatmeal is ground up I think so it is different than the regular. Haven't gotten the 1 minute one so I am not sure the consitency of the oats. I will have to try it, But my kids don't like the big oats in the "original" container. Just wondering if you knew..thanks.

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    1. I think the consistency is the same. The only difference I notice is when how much water is added.

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    2. You can put some of the oatmeal in a blender or food processor to make the consistency more like the packaged instant oatmeal.

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  22. Blend 1/2 of the oatmeal in a blender and add a little coffee creamer make a wonderful change in flavor, texture, and consistency. It makes it more like the store bought stuff. That's how the BYU cooking classes do it.
    - Judson Birkel (judsonbirkel@hotmail.com)

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  23. I found this great idea via Pinterest too-so glad I did as your blog is fabulous!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha in Oz

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    1. Thank you so much for your sweet words! I hope to blog more often in the new year!

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  24. For that maple flavor you can add a swirl of maple syrup to the bowl while your waiting for your oats to soften. It gives it a more authentic taste if you don't care for it just with the brown sugar.

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    1. Ooh, def have to try this!

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    2. Or try Imitation Maple Extract. Just about 1/8 tsp per bowl, and in a pinch you can use the extract with water and sugar to make your own syrup.

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    3. You could also use maple sugar which natural sugar from maple syrup.

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  25. I like the saving money part, but even better I like that it's minimally processed and without all the unnecessary additives!

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  26. Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  27. OMG...What a genius idea. I buy my oats bulk and never thought of doing this. Oh wow...So gonna do this this week. Found you on Pinterest...=)

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    1. OMG is exactly what I thought when I saw this idea!

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  28. Found you on pinterest!! Great idea, my guys(4boys+dad) love oatmeal...

    Two questions...1. is it just quick oats or 1 minute oats, or is there a difference.....2. I have a water machine that gives instant hot water, we use it for the store bought instant oatmeal packs, would it work for this?

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  29. I love this post - found it on Pinterest. I will definitely do this along with some of the tips identified in the comments. My kids love the Maple Oatmeal. I am stopping in from TheStuffofSuccess and I am also your newest follower. Have a great week. Athena

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    1. I just found this site and your comment about Maple Oatmeal. It is my husband's and my favorite. Would you tell me the exact recipe you have made up? I would like to try it. Thank you so much. Glenda Bollinger 07/12/2013

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  30. Thank you so much for posting this! You have just saved me a lot of money!!

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  31. Excellent idea! But you didn't add in the cost of the baggies either. But you could reuse them since you are just storing the dried mix and then pouring out into a bowl. Why not keep them and refill them?

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    1. Good point. I didn't add cost of baggies as I normally always have them on hand.

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  32. This is such a great, easy idea. With school starting in a week and a half I think this is something I need to get started. It would be great to send DD off to school with something other than the typical cereal and milk.

    Thanks for sharing.

    -Tenaj
    simplycomplicatedthatsjustme.blogspot.com

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  33. I have done this for years, but I skip the step of putting them in the baggies. I mix the oats, brown sugar and raisins in a large bowl and then just put back in the oatmeal container (I save an old one so I can do a smaller amount and it will fit). Then I have a 1/2 c measure that I keep in there. Then you simply scoop oatmeal into the bowl, add water (we eyeball it), microwave and voila!

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    1. My husband eyeballs it too. Good idea about mixing it all up and putting back in. Do you notice if sugar and oats settle? and not stay mixed up? Hope that made sense.

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    2. I think if you just shook up the container a few times, it would solve the settling issue if you had one. i like the idea of the container, but also the baggies for my husband to pack in his duty bag in case he gets time to eat something quickly!,

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  34. i found this on pinterist. i did this today and what i did is i put them in the freezer and will keep them there for about a week to ensure that all the little Indian meal moth eggs are dead (just in case because we recently had an infestation of them--NOT FUN) i am hoping that it will extend the shelf life of them and will be able to put them in our 72 hour kits!

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  35. Great idea. I am going to try this.

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  36. Good idea, how much do the 60 baggies cost? I like the idea above to mix, store in oats container or tupperware, and just use a measuring cup, bigger eaters can do 2 scoops instead of throwing 2 baggies into the trash. Unless you reuse the baggies (which isn't recommended due to chemicals in plastic leeching out) its wasteful. Unless your packing for lunches I wouldn't use the bags.
    As a parent you do what you gotta do though to make life easier and make the day last long enough.

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    1. Get the baggies at the dollar store, and they only cost a couple dollars ;D

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  37. My son likes fruit... I've found some sugar and bleberry preserve satisfies him. My daughter is an strawberry & cream girl. I'd love to know if someone has a tried and true recipe or idea? They really rip you off because you cant buy flavors in bulk!!! thanks!!!

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  38. I love cherry almond oatmeal by Archer Farms--they no longer make it. I am going to try this with dried cherries, slivered almonds and a touch of almond extract!

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  39. rumenpufor strawberry...it is so easy to dry strawberries(cut in half or quarters if large) in the oven..then just add to the mix as presented. they we rehydrate when the water is added..yum

    Halve or quarter the strawberries, depending on their size; place on a baking sheet; season with salt and pepper;
    Dry in the oven for three hours at 100° C / 210° F.

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  40. oh, I don't put salt and pepper??? just wash strawberries, cut and dry in oven.

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  41. You could make it healthy and switch the brown sugar for maple sugar or beet sugar and a quarter cup of ground flax to each bag.

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  42. Love this!!! Must do! I have oatmeal everyday...

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  43. I pinned this a while ago and just now took time to pop over for a visit. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will be trying this for sure.

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  44. Could you add powered milk to the mix...then you would just add water. I love the idea ...would love to get it to
    1 package of oatmeal mix
    1/2 C water
    Cook

    Margaret Filler

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  45. I love, love, love this idea. I am going to change it a little since I am a diabetic. I can't believe I never thought of this. I keep the store bought kind at work for breakfast. Wait till I show everyone. They will soon be on here checking it out!!! Thanks.

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  46. Found this post through Pinterest. What a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing.

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  47. This is incredible, My dh loves brown sugar oatmeal. I even went a step further and bought the generic brand @ $2.34 a container. It tastes great! Thank you so much

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  48. I've been making my own for a little while, but I use the regular Quaker Oats 'OLD FASHIONED' oatmeal. I use a 1/2 cup of the oatmeal plus a bit of dried fruit, nuts and honey. I pour a cup of hot water from the water dispenser at work and loosely coverfor 5 minutes and it is delicious! AND LOTS cheaper than buying at the coffee shops.

    I prefer the old fashioned to the minute or instant to try to get as close to 'natural' as possible (hoping for more nutritional value/fiber). I am also lactose intolerant and I find I don't miss a 'milk' with this.

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  49. I tried this and love it! I added some pumpkin spice in addition to the brown sugar for a fall flavour. Also good with Banana slices and walnuts or chopped apple and cinnamon.

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  50. So doing this! Hey ladies here's my page where we share a lot of differ things ideas advice tips all that it's aopen drama free page come join Momtalk101

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  51. This was such a "why didn't I think of that" moment...I do make them overnight oats however, b/c the packets are just junk anyway, but this would be way faster! Thanks ;)

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  52. While it is cheaper, you also have to consider how much the baggies and brown sugar cost... Do you have the final numbers for that? I'm sure you're still saving money, but I'm curious how much!

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  53. Found this post on Pinterest and finally made my baggies of oatmeal today. This was so incredibly easy and I THANK YOU SO MUCH for outlining the steps for the world to see:)

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  54. I have check out a few of these sites and found that 10 cups of oats you need to blend 3 cups of the oats into powder. Don't use powered milk use powered creamer..due to mold......
    Forget the baggies place into a large container with 1/2 scoop!
    Just an FYI~

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  55. I have been looking for a way to make banana oatmeal. My daughter loves it, but doesn't like the strawberry & peach that comes in the pack with it. Any ideas on how to get the bananas into the mix? thanks ladies!

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    1. Dehydrated banana chips, chopped small so they re-hydrate quickly and also 1/8 tsp banana flavoring

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  56. My DH works out of town during the week and this works perfect for him. We did switch the brown sugar to 1 TBL of splenda and also add 1 TBL of powdered milk. Instead of baggies I went to the local dollar store and picked up small reusable plastic containers . Now he just has to add water and microwave. Love this idea!

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  57. Great idea - but never mind the baggies - save the time, hassle, and the planet! Just mix all the stuff together and put it in a big jar or back in the oatmeal container. Measure it out into bowls when you want some. Easy! Thanks for sharing.

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  58. for strawberry....I bet you could add strawberry Quick to the mix.

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  59. you could also add some frozen strawberries to it when you microwave it. I have done that and it is awesome!

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  60. Found this using stumbleupon, thanks!

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  61. OMG, thank you for posting the simplicity of this! What a great idea and I SO needed it step by step for me to do. I've wanted to use these oats for a less expensive route but just didn't know about it. Thank you so much! You've made my day!

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  62. Thanks for sharing ...I have 2 little one who will clear a box in 2 days...this will save money ..not to mention I can use the huge container of oats thst has been taking up space in my pantry

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  63. To put a twist on this you can do it with a multi-grain mix that is like oatmeal but . . . drum roll please . . . with extra grains to get more nutrition and flavor from.

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  64. I think this is a great idea however your post is slightly misleading. $3.78 for oatmeal is great (I usually only pay $2.99 though & we bake with oatmeal also so we use A LOT). You failed to add in the cost of whatever is added in (sugar, raisins, fruit etc.) And the approximately $4.00 for the baggies. So while it is still cheaper it is not as cheap as it sounds. But still a great idea.

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    1. I didn't add the price for the baggies or fruit and sugar as those items I typically already have on hand. and yes still cheaper than the pre-packaged ones!

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  65. Has anyone tried this by pouring in boiling water and waiting a few minutes? I'm loving this idea for my son, who is living in a dorm and needs some hugs from home. Thanks!

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  66. Just not sure what the purpose is in using all those plastic baggies... I mean, honestly, how long does it take to put all the ingredients in the pot each day? Landfills don't need more stuff filling them up!

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    1. Honestly this has worked for my family. I had young children yet old enough to make their own oatmeal in the microwave. It worked for me and my family. Not nice comments like yours are unnecessary. So in encouraging my children to be more independent it works for us. The old saying if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all applies here.

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    2. I too love the fact that my kids can fix their own breakfast using the microwave. I used to mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and then add 1/2 cup to each baggie. We would reuse the baggies after they dumped them for the next batches. This way you do not have the expense of bags with each batch and also helps with the environment. Now after reading several posts, I just add all the ingredients to a container, shake before using, and keep a 1/2 cup measurer in the container. This method has worked very well for our family. I love the idea, the taste, saving money, and teaching my kids to be independent. I can't wait to try this on our next camping trip too! Keep up the great work and don't worry at all about the negative comments that people post. If they don't like the idea then they should just keep on scrolling down the line. There is plenty for them to see without having to interfere with common sense ideas.

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    3. I can't believe people are getting all worked up over baggies and the extra cost of them and brown sugar. Good heavens, isn't there enough in this world to worry about? Thank you so much for this post. I love this idea and am not opposed to using the baggies. If you are not a baggie user, don't use them! It's a free country. Thanks for the good idea-sounds like a fabulous way to work with younger kids when establishing independency! Can't wait to try it! And thanks for "putting yourself out there" among all the criticism. Unbelievable what some people take the time to comment about. Keep up the good work!

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    4. Honestly, my initial thoughts mirrored the original poster. I don't see it mean spirited at all. My thought is more along the lines of why spend the time measuring out all the little bags. It takes about 10 seconds in the morning to measure a half cup of oats and few tablespoons of brown sugar. I think the packaging is a great idea if you're traveling, or maybe for camping, but just around the house, the old fashioned way works for me. To each their own. Glad it works for some people.

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  67. I don't separate mine into baggies, just keep a half cup measuring cup in the container and keep it by the stove (saves me the time of separating it and the cost of the bags). Sometimes I'll do a cinnamon sugar mix in the oatmeal, sometimes it will be brown sugar/vanilla/chocolate chips (or raisins) for more of a cookie flavor. My kids love it.

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  68. I believe the baggies are so that the other ingredients don't settle to the bottom. It's also great as a take a long for a first break snack/breakfast at work.

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  69. How would you go about ones such as apple flavored?

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  70. My 2 year old helped me make these tonight. Made for a great counting activity.

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  71. I posted a blog hop for food bloggers today. It's to share recipes that contain oatmeal....It's National Oatmeal Month. http://groundbeefbudget.com/2013/01/january-is-national-oatmeal-month/ It can be an oatmeal recipe, dessert, or any recipe that contains oatmeal. So if you have some head on over and post yours.
    Thanks,
    Shelley

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  72. This is fairly genius.
    Any ideas on making cinnamon spice flavor? (that's my fav and they just started selling it in boxes by itself but still spendy) I guess I could google it too, thought I'd ask though if anyone here knew?

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  73. LOVE the idea of making baggies. I've been mixing each bowl individually, and adding cinnamon & brown sugar. But this would be great for those crazy mornings! Might try some in the baggies & maybe mix a large quantity in a container that I can give a good shake and scoop out. Thanks for the measurements (I've been too lazy to try to figure that out myself, I have been just going by what looks right! And I'm sure each bowl tastes different! lol!)

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  74. You used quick oats, right? So this isn't really "instant" oatmeal. Other than a time saver, I don't really see how this is better than making from the box. Am I missing something? Instant oatmeal is "instant" because all you have to do is add a little hot water to the mix and stir.

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    1. Quick oats are the same as the boxed packets I believe. You just add water or milk and microwave for a minute. The other type of oats take longer to cook. Just look for "Quick Oats".

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    2. I believe it's also about cutting out all the artificial things that most people don't want their children eating. All the preservatives and such. Also quick oats are the exact same thing in the "instant" oatmeal, neither of which are old fashioned rolled oats, as well the box is almost $5 for a pack of 12 here, so the savings really add up.

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  75. Thank you for the idea...I love it. I believe that it is instant and a time saver...you have all the ingredients premeasured and ready to go. Instant because you can just pop it into the microwave. The baggies really isn't a waste.  I use baggies because it's easy to grab, pour, add water and nuke or cook....I also use baggies because I can just grab and put in my purse and go! Baggies also keep the brown sugar moist as opposed to the original container which is not airtight.

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  76. I made these! 10 with golden raisins, 10 with dried blueberries and 10 with crasins. I also cut the brown sugar to 1 tbls spoon. I then heated up my electric kettle (that's always filled with water for tea and the old instant packets I used to buy). The kids loved them!!! I also am saving the bags to reuse. To the people making negative comments, this is a time saver, I grab the 2 packs already filled and don't have to clean a pot or put away all the canisters. We have to be out the door by 6:45 am, so anyway I can save on clean up the better. If you don't like the idea, why comment? Move on!

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  77. These are fantastic! I love the Quaker Cinnamon & Spice flavor instant oatmeal, so I made these each with 1/2 c quick oats, 1 1/2 Tbs brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 pumpkin pie spice, & 1/8 tsp salt. Only 220 calories, 8 grams whole grain fiber, and 10 grams protein! Talk about the PERFECT breakfast and it's ONLY $0.20!!!

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  78. Great post! I don't make packets, but put a portion size scoop in a smaller canister and then a tablespoon scoop in a canister of brown sugar. We like to add a dash of salt, makes it a little more flavorful, and a drizzle of honey from time to time. Another tip is to add a few mini marshmallows to your brown sugar to keep it soft.

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  79. Thanks for great and saving IDEA. :)

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  80. I do this also, and love the convenience, but 2 tablespoons of sugar seems WAY too much for me! I do 2 teaspoons. That way I cut calories as well as hassle!

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  81. I have been making my own instant oatmeal too and love that it's quick and affordable. Thanks for sharing your cost breakdown...even more motivation and reason to keep making my own :)

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  82. Thanks neighbor.. I live in Odessa

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  83. Cool idea, but how about changing out those plastic bags for something that can be reused instead of tossed into the trash after each use?

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  84. Brilliant! Found you on Pinterest. Now a follower.

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  85. You're newest follower and am DEFINITELY going to try this. Hubby works on Saturday and has breakfast at work so baggies are a HUGE plus for me. But now I can make him different flavors even though he likes his maple brown sugar. Thanks so much ... saw it on Pinterest but am now a blog follower. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

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  86. My God that's genius!! Why didn't I think of that?! o.0

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  87. What an awesome idea. There are so many different ways to customize this for what best fits your family so I don't understand those who are complaining. Thank you for sharing!!

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  88. My kids are older, 12 and 14, but they help with creating the individual packets as well. This gets them into the process, which works to our advantage in two ways, one they are making what they want for breakfast so that they will be more apt to eat it and two I know what they will be putting into their bodies, which is not a candy bar or snack cake grabbed at the school snack bar. They use things like dried berries and cream (powdered milk), maple and brown sugar(flavoring added to brown sugar, and hopefully I will be adding powdered butter to the process as well, for cinnamon roll flavored oatmeal. Just lay out a few bowls with different "ingredients" or toppers as my kids have called them for years, make sure they know one spoon full from the bowls. We use 1/4 teaspoons for spices and flavorings,teaspoons for sweeteners, and tablespoons for additives...oh on a side note, with my kids being older their is a standing rule ...if food starts flying they are responsible for clean up.

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    1. THANK YOU! I just commented below about making a berries & cream version. Never thought of powdered milk!

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  89. This is an excellent idea.....very economical and I know what I'm eating compared to what exactly is in the little packets. I laugh at the negative comments....these people must be very sad in their current life to feel the need to voice negativity about OATMEAL PACKETS??? Really? :) Keep up the good work Amy!

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  90. Less expensive, but don't use the Walmart brand of snack-size ZipLocs to keep it cheaper. They will not stay zipped! This is so nice - cheaper, tastier, healthier, and no artificial ingredients. Did you know that the blueberries they put in the commercial stuff are not blueberries at all? They are not real, and it says so on the package.

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  91. Real Food for Real People made these instant by blending or food processing some of the oats and mixing with the quick oats. Then you can just add hot water.

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  92. I'm a mason jar hoarder, so if you need the oatmeal to be quickly accessible and convenient for travel- such as sending with my husband to work, then it works great!
    Not to mention that you're only using one container- just add water and its your bowl. Also, no plastic baggies, for those that are concerned.
    Thanks for the awesome idea!

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  93. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  94. Outstanding idea! Great timesaver for a stay at home grandma ;)

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  95. Love this! You can do so many things! My Favorite is adding cinnamon and dried apples to the bags:) Those are my morning saviors!

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  96. Love the idea! My kids go through LOTS of oatmeal in the winter. Even off brand is expensive! This will be so much cheaper for us! Plus we can get dried fruits & make our own "mixed berries"!

    Do you have an idea how to make a berries & cream version? My girls love strawberries & cream!

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    Replies
    1. I would use dehydrated strawberries and powdered milk, or milk instead of water to heat it. Someone above said to use creamer instead though so I will be trying that.

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  97. You don't have to use quick oats. I do this most mornings with 1/2C Old Fashioned Oats, one cup of water and some dried cranberries. 2 minutes in a bowl in the microwave and breakfast is served!

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  98. We've done this several times -- and I thought I should stop by (finally) and say thanks for sharing. I love the name of your blog!

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  99. I add a couple tablespoons of powdered vanilla coffee creamer to a large baggie - 3/4c size. My grandsons LOVE that and there are several flavors of powdered creamer to choose from too.

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  100. I've been putting my oatmeal mix with brown sugar in a reusable screw top container for months now. Just add boiling water at work. Will try your much less expensive way, as I find the packets much to expensive. Thanks

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  101. This is a great idea. I would love to hear some more make ahead meals if you have them.
    pjsnsn@gmail.com

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  102. When my daughter was in pureed baby food stage, I didn't buy jarred baby food but another mother at our daycare did. Rather than throw the jars away, they saved them for me so I could sanitize them and use them for my home-made baby foods. I couldn't justify throwing away all of those jars once we moved to solid foods. I just knew I'd be able to use them for other things. I'm thinking rather than using ziploc baggies, I can make up a few dozen baby-food jars of "instant" oatmeal. Just grab one from the shelf and go every morning. Reusable and cheaper than baggies!

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  103. Something that I do differently, I take about a cup of apple juice, (sometimes more depending on if I am making it just for me, or for others) and boil it up, along with a cinnamon stick. And then add the oatmeal, and then after that has cooked up, I add a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. I also noticed someone up there asked about adding apple flavor. The boiling of the apple juice infuses the apple flavor really well.

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  104. I did this today. Was sooo excited about it too. I have 3 daughters and my oldest (7) just loves to make breakfast (or anything) for her and her sisters. So i did the baggie thing (and had the idea to reuse them ;-) ) but i noticed many ppl had flavor questions. What i did was get my daughters favorite "other guy" flavors in preserves, such as strawberry, blueberry, and peach. I also got apple butter and pecan apple butter. LOVED IT! For the1/4 C receipe it only took about a Tbs. They like a lot of flavor :-)

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  105. Ooh i just noticed the strawberries and cream question. What if u did the strawberry preserves and the vanilla coffee creamer?? I'll be trying this in the morning...

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  106. I am absolutely thrilled to have this post. My husband and I will be traveling next week, this is a great way for us to save money on breakfast vs eating out! You have a new fan, thank you for sharing this! From a California couple in their 50's.

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  107. This is a wonderful idea. sometimes I am just lazy to get to a healthy breakfast or cannot think of something. But this is a great idea for daily use or travel.

    ~http://pregnancyparentingandlifebeyond.blogspot.com/

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  108. love love love it!! such a great idea!! I also found this amazing savings website..gives you cashback for all your purchases..what!! too great! check it out and enjoy your savings!

    http://www.dubli.com/T0US1A7NV

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  110. Never said thanks for posting this. We found you a few years ago and my kiddos have been making their own oatmeal baggies ever since. So... just wanted to say thanks. :-)

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  111. This is brilliant!! Thanks for sharing :)

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  112. You could also so easily:
    Add raisins and walnuts if that's your thing
    Add cinnamon sugar if that's your thing
    Add powdered milk so it makes up with water with the milk in it.
    Get creative with other dehydrated fruit (craisins, dried cherries, apricots, etc.)

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  113. Thank you so much, thrifty girl. I appreciate your sharing with others.

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  114. One 42oz container of great value instant oats makes about 28-29- 1/2 cup snack size bags for us.
    I originally made them in the snack bags but now I use a large canister container I bought from dollar tree with a 1/2 cup scoop inside with a label attached in the front to add the water and cooking time, however, if I notice the kids are not eating it as fast I make the baggies again because it does tend to settle if not used regularly.
    I make plain brown sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar, and chocolate chip, sometimes blueberries and cream.
    I only add the oats, brown sugar, and just a little salt, then I add the other ingredients for a variety of flavors. I saw some people also add non-dairy creamer, I rarely add the creamer unless I am making blueberries and cream. I find that blending some of the oats and adding to the mixture made it creamy enough that we did not need to add the non-dairy creamer. Otherwise we just add a little milk after the oats have cooked, this also cools them down so the kids can start eating.
    At first it did not save money but as specified over time it was much more cost effective especially because the store packets were not enough to fill everyone up but each serving of the homemade version was plenty for a meal. Also, we only need to restock up on the oats as the other ingredients and baggies last a while.

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  115. I guess I'm old school. Why waste those baggies? How long does it take to put 1/2c. Of oat meal in a bowl with a spoon of brown sugar? Really?? I think it takes more time to make up all those bags. I still work, and take care of a family. If you don't understand, I guess I have years of experience in putting oatmeal and sugar in a bowl. Lmbo

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  117. I am trying to eat healthier and save money so thank you!

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